Sep 09, 2013 | ehebscher | 634 views
Avalanche Open 2013/14 Exhibition Schedule
The Ancaster Avalanche Bantam AE Team took to the ice for
it's first game action on Sunday night at Morgan Firestone arena.. The ’00 Hamilton Spitfires offered up the
opposition to the Av’s.
There were some pre-game nerves amongst veterans and rookies. Two of the boys were making their Ancaster Rep hockey debuts and one other was returning to Rep hockey after an absence. Despite the quiet dressing room, pre-game, once the puck was dropped the boys knew their responsibilities.
The game began with a relentless Ancaster forecheck, which continued for much of the first period. Despite controlling the offensive zone for the first period, with aggressive forechecking, the Avalanche was able to find the back of the net.
Period 2 would be a different story. The forecheck and aggressive play continued and midway through the period Andre took the puck hard to the net and accidentally, on-purpose slid the puck 5-hole. Defence 1, Forwards 0. 2 ½ minutes later Francois added to his assist on Andre’s goal by taking a smooth pass from Graham for a 2-0 lead. Not to be outdone, Matthew made it 3-0 with a rocket shot. Hugh would close out the dominant second period with 1:27 left by being in the right place at the right time and tapping home the rebound.
The third period saw Ancaster back off the forecheck slightly only to highlight some defensive zone weaknesses. Ancaster was able to keep Hamilton off the board until the 51 second mark when Quinn was beat for the only Hamilton goal of the game.
The victory showed the potential strengths of this team but also gives the coaching staff an idea of areas to improve upon.
The next game action for the Avalanche is Sept 18th at Lawfield arena against the ’99 Spitfires.
Player of Game - Dylan for his solid defence play and offensive anticipation (plus the first goal post of the season).